The Childhood of Severus Snape
by We Laugh Indoors
Summary: Severus Snape was born in Spinner's End. He was the child of Eileen Prince and Tobias Snape. Snape's childhood was often very troubled, and here it is shown.
1. Chapter 1

The young boy crept down the stairs, long, limp black hair swinging. He had no wish to disrupt anyone sleeping, least of all his father.  
His breathing had grown heavy as he grew more and more terrified of the darkness, and every little sound. Through a partially open window in the hallway, the wind snuck in, calling out to him in a low whisper. A chill struck his neck, causing him to huddle tighter into his thick, woollen coat.  
As he lowered one foot onto the bottom step, it creaked loudly. His heart was beating so fast, that he feared it was audible in the silence.  
_Thud.  
_A noise above him set off a new bout of panic. Just as he was preparing to dismiss it, and continue downward, and out of the house, a voice sounded.  
"Going somewhere Severus?"  
A shiver ran down his spine that had nothing to do with the frequent gusts of winds coming from outside.  
Severus Snape gazed upwards at the man who stood there. His father leant against the banister of the staircase, watching him with a penetrating stare.  
"N-no, father. I thought I heard a noise downstairs." The lie came too late, and his father seemed to realise this, yet he did not directly accuse him so.  
The yellowy-whitish grin of Tobias Snape's teeth were horrifying visible, even with the low level of light. Severus shuddered. This man may have been his father by birth, but his son preferred not to think of him in this way. He also chose to deny any resemblance to him, despite the fact that it was clearly there. The same greasy black hair, and hooked nose were duplicated upon the boy.  
"Yes, I'm _sure _you did," he drawled. "Let me come and check with you."  
Had any person who were not a member of the Snape family been watching, this sentence would have seemed perfectly okay. It may also have appeared that Tobias cared for his son.  
Snape knew better than this, and the thought spread through him, shattering any happiness that may still have lingered from only moments before.  
The man strode down the stairs, finally pausing on the step above where Severus stood. "So where did the sound come from?"  
Severus turned his head slightly, racking his brains to add depth to the lie. "I think it was in th-"  
_Slam!_ A great force slammed into his face, knocking him backwards. He may only have been on the third step from the floor, but the strike had been so strong that it felt as if he had fallen from the very top.  
From his view, lying on the dirty carpet, his father looked even more intimidating. Tobias Snape was a tall man, one trait which Severus had not inherited, meaning that he towered high above Severus, his hand still raised from the blow that he had just dealt. The dim light from the window upstairs shone upon his back, casting his face, and the entirety of the front of his body into darkness. All that remained to be seen was his silhouette, and this was terrifying enough.  
This visibility still enabled him to see that his father had begun to approach him. The boy shuffled backwards in horror, his body unable to move him fast enough.  
Tobias was now just a matter of inches away, and Severus lay helpless before him. He shielded himself with his arms, a gesture which still just left him vulnerable. His knew this, and turned his head, cringing with the pain that was yet to come. The abuse came so often, yet Severus was still not used to it, and did not suppose that he ever would be.  
The rage was powering through him now, but the attack which he had expected did not appear. Instead, an unusual sound filled his ears. Squinting through his barely open eyelids, he saw a red light pulsing from his hands, and this had just struck his father, sending him flying.  
Severus sat up, breathing out in a sigh of relief. However, he knew it would not last, his father was not dead. Soon he would wake once more, and no doubt be angrier than ever. His father did not care for much, least of all his magic. That had been one gene that he had inherited from his mother's side.  
Springing up onto his feet, Severus quickly checked his father's condition; he was stirring; and ran out of the door. There was no lock, because only two days before, it had been broken by a teenage group of muggles who hated his family.  
As Severus Snape ran up the driveway, and away from his house, thoughts of seeing Lily Evans pushed all others from his head.


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry that its been so long, lol. xD Its not that long, though still longer than the first which isn't really difficult tbh. Not all that interesting, but I'll try to add more now.

* * *

"Sev!" Lily ran towards him, seeing right through him as always, knowing at once that something was wrong. He could always count on her to raise his spirits. "What's happened? Another argument?" She opened her arms, and he shook his head in reply, before falling into them.

Pulling away, he gazed at the ground, pawing it with his shoe and muttered, "He just caught me as I was trying to sneak out. It was nothing new." The girl in front of him smiled sympathetically at him. For some reason, this just made him a little mad, yet he said nothing, not wanting _her_ to be annoyed with him too. Snape hated the fact that she felt sorry for him.

She couldn't help it – it was in her kind nature – but he wanted to appear strong for his best friend, to be the one that _she_ came to with problems.

He held back the frustration and looked into her glowing green eyes instead. The effect was instantaneous, and he felt a deep calm wash over him.

"So was your day as good as mine?" He grinned at her, and was pleased to see that her expression relaxed slightly.

Lily Evans began to wander off in the distance of the swings, and like opposite ends of a magnet, Severus was unconsciously pulled in her direction so that they remained side by side, barely inches from each other at all times.

"It was okay I guess. Petunia being the same as usual. Keeps making fun of me; and of us." At this, she blushed slightly, a sight which did not go unnoticed by Snape, but he made no comment.

"Don't worry about her. She's just jealous." There was an edge to his voice which unnerved Lily. He must have realised this, as he added a soft smile, before lighting bumping sideways into her. She tripped slightly over her own foot. Regaining her balance, Lily leapt for Snape, her laughter echoing around the empty playground. He had been expecting the retaliation, yet allowed himself to be grabbed by her, and pushed backwards.

Together they tumbled towards the floor, limbs flailing. The faces of the two children were closer than ever now, and the green eye's found the black.  
Awkwardly, Snape's gaze dropped to the ground. He looked up in shock as something hard rained onto his head. Lily had thrown handfuls of bark which lay amongst the swings and slides. Her eyes sparkled mischievously and he flung himself away from her, clutching handfuls of the wood, arming himself against any further attacks.

The pair circled each other, and their eyes never left the other's. Snape whispered gleefully, "I'm warning you now, I'd beat you in a fight. I'll give you this one chance to back down." But Lily was having none of it.

"Oh, so I can have you forever reminding me of the time I lost to you? No deal. At any rate, it'll give me good practice for real wizard duels, which with you around, I will no doubt need!" Lily grinned at him, and Snape made the first move, firing clusters of the bark at her body. Her head flew down, avoiding being hit in the face by the barrage, hair swinging with the movement.

Severus stepped towards her. "Are you oka-." But Lily had drawn herself up to full height and taken advantage of his momentary lapse to make her own comeback. He was temporarily blinded as the dark pieces soared at him, and the girl in front of him launched herself at her friend, knocking him over. Her fingers found their way up his arms, tickling Snape's writhing body.

"No! Stop it! Please!" He gasped for breath, furiously trying to escape.

"Give up do you?" she asked, giggling.

"Yes! Just please stop!"

"Very well." She rolled off of his stomach, as Severus sighed in relief. "And you didn't think I could win!"

Snape looked significantly less happy than he had just minutes before. "Well I guess I was wrong," he said resentfully.

"Ha! No need to sound so cheerful about it!" His expression remained the same. "Oi, don't go all angry on me. I hate it when you get like this. Come on." She reached over and linked her fingers through his.

The corners of his mouth unwillingly turned up, and Lily squeezed his hand, smiling.

* * *

"Do you ever wonder what your life is going to be like after you've left Hogwarts?" Snape looked over at her curiously.

They were in almost exactly the same spot as they had been after their 'fight', except they now lay, looking up at the stars. Their hands had not moved, and still sat entwined.

"I don't know, I just keep thinking about it now," Lily continued. "After I've left, my life is never going to be the same again. It's just, well; I'm going to miss the normality of it all."

Severus stared incredulously. "You're getting the chance of a lifetime. You're going to go to Hogwarts. _Hogwarts!_ What does it matter if it's all different? Change can be good as well as bad. Think of all the new stuff you'll know. There are so many things you could do!"

She shifted uncomfortably. "I'm scared of how people will treat me; my family. Tuney's so mad at me as it is. I don't want to stop being friends with her either."

He stopped himself from speaking too soon, and refrained from making a negative comment about her sister. He had learnt all too well the offence that she would take from that. Instead he smiled at her, and said, "Don't worry about all of that. Just think about the good things." They were quiet for a few minutes, after which Lily broke the silence.

"So what do you want to do after Hogwarts?"

"I'm not sure yet. I guess I'll probably end up deciding when I choose my N.E.W.T's. It depends on what I enjoy, and what I'm any good at."

"N.E.W.T's?" asked Lily.

"Sorry, I keep forgetting you don't know anything about Hogwarts. They're exams you take in your last school year. But yeah, anyway, I think potions sounds interesting. It's the lessonI'm most looking forward to. I've been reading all about it."

She bit her lip. "Sev, if I'm rubbish it, will you help me?"

"At potions?"

"Well, yes, and everything I guess..."

He tightened his grip around her hand reassuringly. "Don't worry, it'll all be fine – you'll be fine. In fact, you'll be brilliant."

She looked up at him and smiled, looking happier than she had done all evening.


End file.
